Chapter 10

The voice was smooth and confident, perhaps too confident, "I saw you, Dee." "You didn't anticipate that I would find you, did you?"

I went cold. There was no mistaking the voice. My body became hard, my heart accelerated, and before I could stop myself, I turned to confront the person I had feared the most in the previous year.

His smirk remained fun but deadly, just as it had always been. He seemed to know something I didn't, as evidenced by the piercing, inquisitive look in his dark eyes. Luke Jennings, the reporter, was standing a few feet away with a reporter's pad tucked under his arm and his camera draped over his shoulder.

I could feel my face's blood dripping out. Not right now, not in this state, I didn't want him here.

"You're following me, right?" My throat closed and my speech sounded like a choked whisper.

With a hint of enjoyment on his face, he cocked his head. "Are you being followed? That's not how far I would go. But Dee, I think you're running. escaping the narrative that has been following you for several months.

I swallowed, trying to remain calm. "Luke, I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Well, I believe you do." He moved in closer, and I was pushed back toward the street by his crushing presence. "Your secret is about to be revealed, even if you've been hidden in plain sight. In other words, how long do you believe you can maintain the act?

I balled my fists up. I had to resist his baiting. Not right now.

Luke, you're mistaken on whatever you believe you know. I have nothing to conceal. I spoke with more power than I actually felt.

"Not concealing anything?" He gave a gloomy laugh. You don't think anyone will be curious as to why the enigmatic woman with the twins has been evading all requests for interviews for months? Why hasn't the man you've been so close to been able to get a word out of you about your past?" he asked, pointing a finger at me as his eyes narrowed.

I flinched as if he had struck me. Yemi. I believed I had sufficiently concealed my secrets and maintained my distance. Now, though, Luke Jennings had me in a tight spot.

Even though I knew the lie was weak, I repeated, "I don't know what you're talking about."

He lowered his voice and stepped closer. "I'm referring to Yemi. Do you believe that your past is unimportant to him? Do you believe he won't discover what you're fleeing?

My heart pounded. Yemi. The idea of him getting pulled into this mess was too much for me to handle. However, I was also unable to express to Luke how much his remarks moved me. Not before him.

Even though my legs felt like jello, I forced myself to look him in the eye and stated, "I'm not running from anything." Furthermore, I'm not keeping anything from Yemi. You ought to go.

Luke's eyebrow went up. "You think that since you said so, I'll simply leave? No way. Dee, you've been a ghost. However, I've been observing and waiting for the ideal opportunity.

"Don't you dare," I said, taking a step back as my breathing became more rapid. "This is not possible for you. My life cannot be ruined for a narrative.

With a gesture of feigned submission, he raised his hands. "Dee, I'm not attempting to destroy your life. However, the truth eventually surfaces. My only action is to gently prod it.

My thoughts were racing as I turned away. I had to leave him, get home before he followed me, and stop this conversation from getting out of hand.

"Dee, don't leave me alone."

He took a stride in my direction, but I was afraid to turn back. I feared I would fall apart if I did. Everything was weighing heavily on me, including the secrets I had buried so deeply that I could hardly recall the last time I had allowed myself to breathe without fear, the past I had kept hidden, and the lies I had told to keep my kids safe.

I continued to walk until I was halfway home, and even then, Luke's voice continued to reverberate in my head like a smothering presence.

My pulse pounded in my chest as I hurried along, my mind jumbled. What if he had spoken to Yemi earlier? What if everything I had put so much effort into concealing was going to come to light?

Upon arriving at the flat, I hurried inside and flung open the door. Unaware of the tempest that was building outside their tiny world, the twins were watching TV. I let out a sigh of relief, experiencing a fleeting sense of calm before the fear returned.

I had to give Yemi a call.

However, the doorbell rang before I could reach for my phone.

I went cold. I didn't anticipate anyone.

I looked at the time. It was late. Who might it be?

Even though my mind was racing with a thousand possible answers, I had already begun to fear the idea of who it may be.

Carefully opening the door, I was shocked to see that neither Luke Jennings nor anyone from my past was there. Yemi was the one. He had deep eyes that were filled with something I couldn't quite identify, perhaps impatience or worry.

"Yemi?" I hastily covered up my feelings, but my heart skipped a beat.

"Dee." He examined me closely, as though he was attempting to predict how I would respond. "We must speak."

My heart began to race once more. He wasn't just come to chat. This conversation was going to be difficult, no matter what it was, and I could already feel the tension in the air.

"Now? It's late, Yemi. The twins—

Take a moment to forget about the twins. Dee, we have to discuss you.

I wasn't prepared for how hard his remarks affected me. My stomach sunk with my heart. I started to say something, but the words would not come.

I was frozen in my tracks as I noticed something behind him.

Someone stepping out of the darkness.

Luke Jennings was the one.

The reporter.

The room spun around in my mind. The time has finally come when everything I had feared would occur.

With my breath caught in my throat, I muttered, "Yemi, wait." With my head spinning, I glanced at Luke and then back at Yemi. "You—he—" I was at a loss for words.

Yemi's jaw tensed as his eyes darted between us. "Dee, what the devil is happening?"

I realized then that this was the time when everything would change.